A misadventure by a tourist, who ventured dangerously close to a wild elephant in Bandipur, ended with the pachyderm attacking him, on August 10. The man fell while fleeing from the angry elephant, but just as it looked like he would be crushed by the gigantic animal, in a fortuitous turn of events, the pachyderm abandoned the pursuit and left the spot.

The incident was captured on video and became viral on social media.

More importantly, this incident has brought into focus the recurring problem of tourists disregarding safety advisories to venture close to wild animals in forests.

The incident took place on the stretch of road between Melkamanahalli and Bandipur.

A herd of wild elephants crossing the Kozhikode-Kollegal national highway 766 passing through the Wayanad wildlife sanctuary in Kerala.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The elephant was on the busy highway when the tourist got close, apparently to take a video or a selfie, but ended up provoking the wild animal. The tourist fled from the spot with the elephant in pursuit, the chase ending only after the former stumbled and fell. The elephant came close to stomping the person, who was lying on the road, but got distracted and turned towards the forest.

Prabhakaran, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, said the identity of the tourist is yet to be ascertained, as he left the spot in a vehicle before the patrolling staff reached the spot.

He said all hospitals in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar were told to inform officials of any case related to trampling by an elephant, but none was reported.

‘’Hence, we contacted the Forest Department in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Hospitals and clinics have been informed to report any patient suffering injuries due to trampling by an elephant,” said Mr. Prabhakaran.

The authorities contacted the person who uploaded the video, but they had no clue about the identity of the tourist though they confirmed that he left in a vehicle almost immediately.

“We need to confirm the identify of the tourist, and also prosecute him,” said Mr. Prabhakaran.

Such reckless behaviour by tourists has become the bane of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries across India. In February 2024, a tourist from Andhra Pradesh had a narrow escape, also in Bandipur, under similar circumstances. The tourist was identified, told to pay a fine of ₹25,000 before being let off with a warning.